Electric incubator and nursery.



BBOKSTROM. ELECTRIC INCUBATOR AND NURSERY.

APPLICATION nun 111112.11, 1909.

Patented Jail. 24, 1911.

i uliuiin anoeutoz a vitnaaogz '9 3% Z: i v M A. BEGKSTROM. memo 1110111111011 m) 1111111111111 APPLIOATIOR FILED IAB. 11, 1909.

Patented-Jan, 24, 1911.

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ADOLF BECKSTROM, OF LEWIS'IOWN, MONTANA.

ELECTRIC INCU'BATOR .AND NURSERY.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 24:, 191 1.

Application filed March 11 1909. Serial No. 482,722.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, AnoL-r Bnorrsrnorna citizen of the United States, residing at Lewistown, in the county of Fergus and State of Montana, have invented a new and useful Electric Incubator and Nursery, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has reference to electric incubators and-nurseries wherein the heat is generated by an electric current and its object is to provide a means for the batching of eggs and the keeping of the chicks after hatching wherein an electric current is utilized for the production of the necessary heat and water is utilize bution of the'heatgenerated by the electric hi'i'ter while PIOVlSlOIl is made for the regulation of the heat and the turnin of the eggs when necessary without requiring the removal of the eggs from the incubator, and alw provision is made whereby a local current supply will maintain the heater in op eration should the main supply fail from any cause. I

The invention will be best understood 'i from a consideration of the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved incubator and nursery. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical central section through the same with electric circuits shown dingrammatically. Fig; 3 IS a plan view of the eg tray removed.

. ,-..erring to the drawings there is shown a -.able casing 1 provided w1th a top 2 and supported upon suitable legs 3. The

-casing may be made of wood or other suitsaid. tank may be provided.

bottom of the chamber formed within the casing 1 to provide ample room for the eggs and for the chicks after hatching. At an intermediate point within the casing are other ledges ads ted to receive a frame 8 provided witi'z'a out panel 9 so that the for the proper distri frame may be inserted through a suitable opening in one wall of the casin and when fully inserted and resting on tie ledges 7 the front panel 9 will close the opening as indicated in Fig. 1. This frame is provided with a handle 10 for enabling the operator to readily withdraw the frame when desired.

Extending across the frame is an endless belt 11 mounted at the ends u on rollers 12, the arbor of one of the rol ers being extended out through the panel 9 and there provided with a manipulating handle 13 by means of which the roller may be rotated upon its longitudinal axis and thus cause the endless belt 11 to move longitudinally of the frame. portion of the frame 8 while the upper por' tion isformed into series of pockets by'c ross partitions 14, the pockets being of such size and shape as to accommodate eggs to be hatched, which eggs rest upon and are supported by the upper run of the endless belt 11.

When the frame 8 is inserted into the interior of the incubator then the eggs are supported a distance above the bottom of the chamber within the incubator and within proper distance of the bottom of the tank 5. lVhencver it is .,necessary to turn the eggs then the handle 13 is manipulated to a sufficient extent and the eggs may be all turned at one time without removing the frame from the incubator and thereby preventing the danger of chilling the eggs or cooling the interior of the incubator. Above the point where the frame 8 is inserted the wall of the casing 1 may be provided with an opening 15 closed by a transparent panel 16 through which the interior of the incuhator becomes visible. 7

lV'ithin the water chamber or tank 5 there is located an electric heater 17 of any suitable type and since the particular structure of the heater may be such as that of heaters l found on the market and also since it terms binding posts 19.

The incubator may be provided with an exterior shelf 20 carrying batteries 21 as a local source of current, but it will be undcc stood that these batteries may be located at any convenient point adjacent to the incu- The belt is supported in the lower.

bator and not necessarily upon a shelf carried by the casing l.

Mounted on the cover 2 in a suitable standard 22 is a lever 23 one end 24 of which is screw-threaded and carries an ad ustable counterweight 25. The end of the lever 23 I remote from the threaded end 24E may be 31 which may come from any suitable source of electric current as for instance a power circuit. The post or standard 22 is connected to the other conductor 32 of the power circuit, which latter conductor may include a switch 33. 1

Within the interior of the incubator there is mounted a delicate lever 3t pivoted'to a bracket 35 and in the path of one arm of this lever is a rod 86 extending to and pivoted to the lever 23 sothat when the lever 34 is moved the lever 23 will participate in such movement. 3

Nicely balanced in the interior of the incubator as by a hanger 37 is a thermometer 38 having the end remote from the hanger 37- connectcd to or engaging the lever 3 The adjustment is such that while the temperature within the incubator 18 below a certain predetermined maximum the weight of the' lever 23 on the side remote from the counterweight 25 issuflicient to maintain the end of the lever 3i connected to the thermometer 38 in an elevated position so that. the contacts 2t) and 27 are in engagement and the current flows through the heater in the usual manner. \Vhen the heat has risen beyond the predetermined maximum then the movement of the mercury in the thermometer along thp tube is sutlicient to overbalance the lever 3 1 thus causing the lever 23 to rise and to break the circuit between the contacts 26 and 27 thereby cutting oil the supply of current and ultimately the radiation of the heat will cause the interior of the incubator to cool down until the retraction of the mercury column is sutlicient to permit the weight of the lever 23 to again raise the lever 2t and thermometer until thecontacts 26 and 27 are brought-into engagement and current again flows through the heater By this structure there is provided a very delicate and sensitive regulator responsive to heat changes within the incubator and thereby maintaining the heat within the incubator very sensibly constant at the proper temperature.

It transpires that sometimes the power circuit will fail and unless provision is made for such failure the eggs Within the incubabattery 21 is not to be taken as more than simply illustrative. It is evident that irrespective of the showing of the drawings the battery 21 will in practice be made ,ot suflicient capacity to give the required output of current.

The magnet 30 is provided with an armature 39 attracted by the magnet so long as the current flows therethrough but should the current passing through the magnet 36 cease then a suitable 'retractile spring etO will move the armature 39 away from themagnet until it brought into engagement with two adjacent contact terminals a1. One of these terminals is connected by a conductor t2 to the conductor 29 and the other terminal 41 is connected by a conductor -13 to one side of the battery 21. The other side of the battery 1 21 is connected by a conductor &4 to a contact terminal in the path of the lever 23 and engaged by the latter when the contacts 26 and 27' are in engagement. Should the main current supply through the conductors 31 and 32 cease then the magnet 30 is ide energized and the armature 39 is carried by the spring 4.0 into position to bridge the contacts 41' thus establishing a circuit from the.

battery 21 through the conductor 43 and contact 41 to-the conductor 42 thence to the conduetor 29 and corresponding binding post 19 and throu h the heater 17 returning to the battery through conductor 28, contact terminals 26 and 27, lever 23, cfillttlct fltl,

and conductor 46%. I Should the heat within the incubator become too great then when the lever 23 is raised the circuit is broken at thecontact 45 as well as at the contacts 26 and 27. The contact 45becon1es necessary in the normal operation of the machine for when the temperature becomes too high the contacts 26 and 27 areseparatcd and the main circuit is broken thus dee'nergizing the magnet 30 which under these circumstances closes, the circuitbetween the contacts 41 but the raisingof the lever has already broken the circuit at the contact 1-5 when the contacts 26 and-27 are separated by a too high temperature within the incubator. The contact 35 is only diagram- I matically illustratedand ma be the same as the contacts 26 and 27 or f desired, both contacts may be of the ordinary type.

It is to be' observed that with the use of the eleetric heater ,9. very sensitive regulation of and thus the battery- 21 is not put in service the heat is obtainable and by immersing the heater in the "Water contained in. the 'WLtEl tank 5 a well distributed and very constant chamber of the incubator, the opening nor inally' closed. by the panel 9 being closed by any suitable means The device then hecomes' a nursery.

What is claimed is 1 An incubator provided with a suitable casing, 2H1 electric heater therein, a thermostatic element 111 the casing, a switch con trolled by the thermostatic element and adapted to he inclujdedin an electric circuit, a currentsourcc local to the incubator, a switch controlling the said local current source and in turn controlled by current troversing the said electric circuit to. cut the locul source in. and out of circuit in accord- :ence With the failure or restoration of current in the first named circuit, and a circuit terminal for the local current source in the path of the thermostatically controlled switchk 2. Au incubator provided with a suitable casing, an electric heater therein adapted'to he included in on electric circuit, a thermostatic element in the casing, a current source local to the incubator; a switch controlling the-10051 current source and in turn adapted. to be controlled by current traversing the said electric circuit to cut the local current source into and out of'circuit on the failure or restoration of current in the first named circuit, and a switch controlled by the then most-attic element for cutting in or cutting" out the first named circuit or the local current source according to Whether the first named circuit or the local current source is active.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence ofztwo Witnesses. 1

I iAnoLr BnoKsrRoM. Witnesses: 'EDGAR G. WORDEN, VIVIAN ST. CLAIR. 

